4. Police Story (DVD/ Hong Kong/ 1985/ 96 min)Director: Jackie ChanActors: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Brigitte LinThe gifted policeman Kevin Chan (Jackie Chan) puts behind the bars the biggest drug dealer in town. Then he has to protect the major witness of the case, the gangster ´s secretary (Lin). When the girl disappears and the bad guy goes free, Chan has the personal challenge of bringing her back, facing all alone the gangsters. The picture images have grown old, but the amazing stunt work and the fightings still make this action movie a great fun.

Tequila (Yun-Fat) is a cop frustrated with his carrer, who would gladly change over from the revolver to a saxophone, from the police stationt to a smoky jazz bar (his nickname says all!). This way, he seems to be always running against the clock, performing the missions with a suicidal courage, and what for? To get rid of all vilains and finally dedicate his life to the music and his estranged girlfriend? Alan (Leung) is a killer working to the guns contraband mafia in Hong Kong and also has the desire of an early retirement. He seems sometimes reluctant executing the assasssination job, but is quite brilliant doing it. When Tequila and Alan finally have the paths crossed there´s a mutual recognition of souls. With a ironic difference revealed in Alan´s touching confession:” All I wanted was to be a normal cop”. The fine construction of the characters contrasts with the bloodshed that we´re submitted during the picture. Even so, Chow Yun-Fat holding a baby in his arms and shooting a gun in the middle of fire and explosions is moving, the way just John Woo could make it. Classic!

The director Zhang Yimou already gifted us with great films, full of solid drama and scenes that will keep forever in our minds (like “Farewell My Concubine”). By other hand, chinese cinema has the unique capacity of combining adventure, action and drama. Ang Lee´s “Crounting Tiger, Hidden Dragon” is the perfect example, and clearly inspired this new fase of Yimou carrer. In spite of never have worked directing action films, “Hero” discloses the director´s talent also in this genre. “Hero” tells us, through a legend, the history of the unificacion of China, about 2000 years ago. And who´s the “hero” of the story? The Nameless swordman (Jet Li), that defeats the rebels? Or the same rebels – Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) e Sky (Donnie Yen)? Or maybe the true hero is the King of Qin (Daomin Chen), for having the boldness of building the great country of China? It´s all open to interpretation, but what really matters in this film are the fight scenes, a very elegant and elaborated coreography. Even if you´re not a fan of martial arts, you´ll be delighted. And the landscapes are truly amazing. Exotic deserts, fantasy forests, highly colored by the hand of the fotographer Christopher Doyle, a brilliant work. Finally, it was a beaultiful experience into the legend plus marcial arts genre. And it seems that Zhang Yimou realy enjoyed the play since he directed afterwards the also amazing “House of Flying Daggers”. Can´t miss it!

This is the second incursion of the director in the martial arts plus epic drama genre, and Zhang Yimou is more experienced and mature. And the challenge is bigger this time. More action, more breath taking landscapes and much more drama. Or I should say, more romance. The story is set when China is a great unified country, but the people still dislikes some governants. This established, enter two policemen (Andy Lau e Takeshi Kaneshiro) that are charged with the arresting of a beautiful young rebel (Zhang Ziyi) hidded at a brothel. They´re surprised to find out the girl is blind, and also a brilliant swordwoman. The tenent Jin (Kaneshiro) has the mission of faking the rescue of the blind girl, to pretend sympathy for the rebel cause, this way being able to discover the hiding-place of the state foes. During this journey, naturaly, the couple falls in love with each other.So many scenes in this film are memorable, like the raid through the bambual (a scene that can´t miss in a martial arts classic movie) and the final duel at the snow field. Delicate and moving performances, inspired music, in short, another pearl of the director Zhang Yimou.